To Find a Thief
by LadyAnatar
Summary: Happily watching the village children, Kagome orchestrates a dastardly scavenger hunt for them. However, she isn't telling them everything on the ransom note...


To Find a Thief

_ Author's Notes: For a while, I was very, very into Inuyasha fanfiction. I wrote this for part of my dialogue assignment during that time period. I made up my own prompts, since I didn't bother to track down the ones the people on this site use. I'm still not sure where those fabulous authors get them! My prompts were "Quest" and "Parchment."_

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Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha_.

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"Come on guys! Let's follow the clues and find the culprit and treasure!" cheered Kagome. She had volunteered to watch several village children alongside Shippo. In preparation, she had shanghaied a certain adult male into helping her create her little quest, and it had succeeded quite well if she did congratulate herself.

Snapping hastily from her musings, she heard one of the little girls cry, "Lady Kagome! I found something! Come quickly!"

"I'll be right there," she called back, chuckling, "but it will take me a minute!"

Lo, a clue was indeed hanging from a branch. A small clump, easily identifiable as some hair about two inches long, was ensnared among the leaves and twigs.

"Alright, now that we've so fabulously found this, what do you think we should do next?" prompted the caretaker.

A short spate of words and conversations greeted her query, and she waited patiently for the outcome. Finally, one of the older boys, who often became unofficial group-leader, called out, "Shippo! You have a good nose. Try and get a scent of some kind and tell us what you figure out."

The fox child promptly obeyed and inhaled a large whiff. "Not much. I know it's human hair, and I think it's a male. Other than that, nothing."

Collectively groaning, the littlies scrambled to figure out what to do next. "Lady Kagome," another girl began, "could you please read us the message again?"

"I would be happy to!" Kagome unrolled the scroll and recited, "_**I have stolen something of yours which would prove quite pleasant for you. I will not give it back until you find and identify me! Or unless-"**_

Kagome abruptly shut her mouth at that point. _Note to self_, she thought wryly,_ next time, write the ransom note yourself_.

Puzzled looks greeted her slip-up. "Is there something else written in the message, Lady Kagome?" one child inquired tentatively.

"No. Originally, our note continued for another sentence," she semi-lied easily, "but it has been mostly crossed out."

Accepting her statement, the children began reattempting to find the next clue. "Everyone, come over here!" crowed one of the youngest boys. "I found another clue!"

Immediately, the entire group was gazing at the man-shaped imprint in the camouflaged mud-puddle. "Eww, I'm glad that didn't happen to me," commented a ten-year-old diva.

"Hey! Thanks to all this mud, we can track him!" Shippo piped up excitedly.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go find him!"

With that, the entire herd was bounding away; Kagome brought up the rear with a sleepy three-year-old who had followed his older siblings. _Seems like the game is almost over_, she realized with a smile.

Shippo and the rest of the fast learners followed the obvious trail for several minutes before breaking out of the forest next to a stream. A bright blanket covered a lump on some dry grass nearby, but no one appeared present.

"My compliments for finding me," a smooth, genteel voice slithered from the tree-line, "but in order to collect your belongings, you have to identify me as well."

"I know who you are." Three boys, including Shippo, blinked at each other in surprise.

"How about you all enlighten the rest of us?" Kagome suggested gently.

One boy shrugged before he answered. "The hair was the right color and just the right length. Shippo said it was a male human, and the imprint also showed that to be the case and an adult. Also, no one mentioned a stranger in the village so it was probably one of us. Finally, your staff was imprinted in the mud too. I just had to look the right way for that one. You're Miroku, the monk that travels with Lady Kagome."

A pause resounded, than Miroku loped out of the woods laughing. "Oops! I thought I had held my staff above the ground. My bad." Regarding the group with a smile, Miroku nodded towards the lump. "I stole the goodies that Lady Kagome brought you from her home. If you want them, help yourself, but don't forget to share!"

With a cheer, the group surged past the monk and swarmed the tasteful ecstasy. Kagome gently dropped the littlie onto the ground and sent him to his sister before turning back to her friend. "Thank you so much, Miroku. It was wonderful of you to help me like that," she disclosed sincerely.

Miroku dropped a low bow in her direction. "I am simply glad I was able to be of assistance. That is, after all, what I am supposed to do."

The two kept an eye on the happy kids before Kagome remembered something. "Oh, that's right. What in the worlds were you thinking with that ransom note? You were supposed to let them find you, not tell them who you were before they even started looking!"

Eyes twinkling, Miroku glanced over at her in amusement. "I meant every word that I wrote, Lady Kagome. Usually, there is more than one possible route to take, and I wished to teach these youngsters that valuable lesson."

"Uh-huh." Kagome peered down at the parchment that rested in her hand and reread it: _**I have stolen something of yours that would prove quite pleasant for you. I will not give it back until you find and identify me! Or unless you convince Lady Kagome to finally bear my children.**_

She threw the note at his face as she stood up. "Keep that as a souvenir, Hentai. I'm going to go help the kids with those snacks. Thanks again for all the help." She pranced off towards her charges saucily, leaving the amused holy man in her wake.


End file.
